Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of the institutional objectives for the Introductory to Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) course at the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy. METHODS: This observational study included 83 first-year PharmD students, of which 36 were enrolled in the IPPE course during the Spring 2009 semester. At the beginning and end of the semester, each student was given a multiple-choice test with questions related to the institutional objectives for the IPPE course. At the end of the semester, the tests were scored and the pre- and post-tests were matched for each student. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the pre- and post-test scores, although most students had an improved score on the post-test. Of the students in IPPE, test scores were divided based on the type of practice site attended. No difference was found for the pre- or post-test scores between the different practice sites (p>0.1 for all comparisons) and a medium impact was found between community and hospital practice settings (affect size = 0.49). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that although student competencies improved over the course of the semester, participation in the IPPE course during the first-year of pharmacy school did not significantly contribute to this improvement.

The Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) student competency testing program was instituted in Texas in 1980. This study determined the impact that test has had on the curricula of participating districts as was perceived by superintendents. A survey instrument was developed, validated, and tested for reliability and was then presented to a random sample of superintendents in five size categories.